Platform and gate assembly



I May 22, 1928. I 1,670,546

w. H. MussEY ET AL I PLATFORM AND GATE ASSEMBLY Filed Oct. 19, 1925 2Sheets-Sheet 1 4 3 L} "Q l2 I] III 12 F Z INVENTOHS IE wfliam fin awayWwam 7i. fefrwo May 22,1928.

W. H. MUSSEY ET AL PLATFORM AND GATE ASSEMBLY Filed Oct. 19, 1925 2Sheets-Sheet 2 fvr ONVENTORS Mlfiiam 7V. may

M16220): 4?. 'Peterwo w aiibrney Patented May 22, 1928.

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WILLIAM H; MUSSEY;A1\TD WILLIAIVL R. PETERSONy OF' GHIGAG O, ILLINOIS,ASSIGNORS TO PULLMAN CARE: MANUFACTURING COREOBATIQN; OF CHICAGO,ILLINOIS, A

CORPORATION, on ILLINOIS.

PLATFORM AND-GATE ssnnnmr.v

Application filed October 19, 1925. Serial No. 63,484.

lThe invention relates to mechanism for "to engage the respectiveside'gates and trap "doors, the devices comprising said means beingmounted upon av support commonto 15 all of them, all of the'assemb'ledparts being held{ by the support in fixed operating rela- "tion to eachother andthe platform gates and trap doors.

A further object is to so interlock the 2 platform railing si'd'egateswith aholding 7 device rigidly secured tothe'car that the gate properwill operateto connect the ho'lding devices onthe' car body to thefixedportionsof the railing.

25 lhe foregoing-and other objects'are -attained bythemechanismillustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which-:

Fig. 1 isa plan ofa portion of an'observa tion car platform showing therelation of trap door and gate to the holding device on the carbody;

I Fig; 2 is a vertical section through'the platform taken, on line22"-'of- Fig. 1 looking inthe direction indicated by the-arrows; Fig. 8is a" broken frontelevationalview of theholdingdevi'ce on an enlargedscale showingthe. relation of the gate interlocking portion and latch tothe" trapdoor catch and grab handle i Fig. 4a is a side 'eleva tionalview thereof;

Fig. 5 is a bottom plan ofthe connecting shoe ofthe holding devicesy v vFig. 6' is a horizontal sectional View taken on line 6-6of"Fig., 3looking-in the direc- 45. tion -indicatedby the arrowspand Fig. 7 is.a'horizontal sectional? view through the connecting cap pieceor theholding devices taken onaline" 7 7 "of Fig. 3 looking in the-"directionindicated the In said drawings,- 10' indicates" thebo dy of a: carequipped with the invention, .11 the platform, and12; the railing;enclosing the as illustrated inthedrawin'g containing the the operator.

ward movement of the trap 'checked'upon contactthereof with lower'rail90 and perforated as at 31? toreceivefa pluraling same'tethe 'carbody.Thee p The-railing is made up of the fixed portions 13.securedto pillars14 supported in buifer'sill 15 ofthe car under- .frame, and'thehorizontally swinging side 1 gate portions 1'6 pivotally securedbyhinges 17 to fixed portions 13-ofthe2railing- Trap doors 18 a're.pivotally mounted at right angles to the gates on" brackets 19' securedto the end'sill 20 of the car underframe in position to be engaged" bythe catch 'when raised to the, open position indicatedin *dotted"linesin Fig. 2 as will hereinafter appear. The trapdoorsare 'hel'd in theirclosed position at the platform level by means of any 'a'p'provedform oflock 21, such usual slidi ng bolt 22* normally'held above 7 the freeedge of the-trap door 18" with bolt retracting shaft 23*extendingupwardly therefrom and fitted with operating handle- 24 in position tobe conveniently reached by 'Theside gate 16, constituting the movableportion of the platform railing, swings, in a horizontal plane above thetrapdoor 18. When inits closed position the gate'is held parallel totheouter edge of; the'trap door with itshinge portionY17 at thefree-edge of j the trap door and with the'free edge of the gate at thepivoted side of the trap door. Thus positioned the gate will lie in thepath of movement of the trap door 18 to limit iany premature rising ofthe trap door resulting from the failure or unauthorized manipulation"of the 'trap *door lock 21,f furthe'r updoor being 26 of the gate 16.It will be obvious that until the gate is' swung inwardly beyond 'the"free e'dge'of the trap door the "trapdoor will be held down-to preventaccidental injurv'to persons oocupyingtheplatform. 9

e To insure'stability in .the platformraiiling as a whole, the gates 16are interlockedwith t-he body of thcarthroughthe medium oi holdingdevices 27 "constituting the cjon-' necting cap piece of the nectingshoe piecef28. I

The oappiece 27 is"provided with securin'g flanges29' and 30shap'e'dtothecontour of the"contiguous body portion ofthe" oar groupya'nd theLconity of machine screws or thelike for attack 1 new 7 also equippedwitha may shaped to provide a coupling 33 designed to interlock with acomplemental coupling 34 on gate 16. The couplings 33 and 34 are held inintimate interlocking engagement by means of a retaining latch 35'pivotally mounted at 36 on cap piece 27 and adapted to engage a wedgingface 37 on gate coupling 34. Latch 35 is normally held against "holdportion 43 as indicated in Fig. 4 of the drawings. Interlocking with thelower end of hand-hold 43 is a similar hand-hold extension 44 projectinglaterally and upwardly from the shoe piece 28. The shoe piece carries aflange 45 which, like flanges 30 and.

31 of cap piece 27, isprovided with countersunk holes 46 to receive asufficient num ber ofmachine screws for the'proper fastening of the shoeto the car body. The

, shoe piece is notched out as at 47 to receive Cal tongue 48.0n thelower rail 26 of gate 16 as shown in Fig.2.

The cap and shoe pieces 27-28 are connected by a post section 49 havingat its upper end a swelled pocket portion 50 containing the plungermechanism of trap door catch 25. The plunger mechanism consists of theplunger rod 51 seated upon spring 52 and fitted with head 53. Plungerpocket 50 is covered and the mechanism protected by lid plate 54 securedto the post 49 preferably by screws 55, the plate functioning also asawear plate for the free edge of the trap door 18 when raised to openposition indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 2. The connecting post 49 mayalso be provided with openings 56 to'receive additional fastening meansshould that be found necessary. 1

The gatelG is released bygraspinghandle 57 of retaining latch 35 andpressing the latch inwardly against the spring 38' and past the wedgingface 37 on the gate until the latch assumes the position indicated indotted lines in Fig. 7 whereupon-the gate will be free to swing past thelatch to its open position beyond the free edge of the trap door. Bolt22 of trap door lock 21' is then retracted and the trap door raised toits open position against wear plate 54 on the plunger mechanism pocket50 in which position the trap door will be held by latch 25 engaging theunderface of the trap door at latch opening 58.

To close the gate the trap door is released.

from its open latched position by. depressing plunger rod 51 againstspring 52 thereby disengaging latch 25 from the trap door. The trap dooris forced to its closed position in the platform and held there by lockbolt 22, after which the gate 16 is=swung to closed position past theretrac'tile latch 35 1. In a platform and gate assembly, thecombinationcomprising a platform railing having horizontally swinging side gateportions, platform trap doors pivotally mounted on the car body at rightangles to. saidgates, and connected holding devices secured to the carbody at the free ends of said gate portions and in assembled relation toeach other and said gates and trap doors.

2. In a platform and gate assembly, a

platform railing having horizontally sw nging side gate portions,connected holding devices connectingsaid gates to the car body, couplingportions on said gates adapted for interlocking engagement withsaidholding devices, and gate latching means.

3. In, a platform and gate assembly, a platform railing havingswingingside gate portions, holding devices connecting said gates to thecar body, complemental couplings on said gates and devices, and gatelatching means on said holding devices adapted to hold said couplings ininterlook in g engagement.

4. In a railway car platform and gate assembly comprising a platformrailing having pivoted side gate portions,'holding devices connectingsaid gates to the car body and including upper and lower securingpieces, and bars connecting said pieces, one of said bars constituting ahand-hold in said assembly.

5. In a platform-and gate assembly, the combination comprising aplatform railing having horizontally swinging connecting 3 side gateportions, trap doorsv pivoted to the car body adjacent the free ends ofsaid gates, connected holding: devices securing said gates to the carbody, coupling portions formed on said gates and holding devices,

and locking means on said devices for holding said trap doors raised.

6. In a platform and gate assembly, the

combination comprising a platform railing having horizontally swingingside gate portions, platform trap doors pivotally mounted emme on thecar body adjacent the free ends of said gates, holding devices at thefree ends of said gates, and locking means on said devices for holdingsaid trap doors raised.

7. In a platform and gate assembly, the

combination comprising horizontally sWing-' ing side gate portions,'trapdoors pivotally mounted on the car body at right angles to and adjacentthe free ends of said gates,

